Elder Stephen Crisp returned home from a two year mission in the Ecuador Guayaquil North Mission on November 17th, 2015.

Monday, October 13, 2014

October 13th, 2014

This week we decided to do a fast to be able to have more success, and it worked really well. The idea came from a quote I remembered from conference that fasting, and caring for the poor, is a reflection of our spirutal maturity. We hadnt been able to even teach people much before, but the last three days of this last week there wasnt really an hour where we werent occupied with lessons, It was a huge blessing. We have a man Jose who lost a leg and is about to lose the other, whos super humble and its humbling to me, he wants to work hard to be able to make it church. Another lady we have been teaching is Silvana, who was given the book of mormon by other missionaries way before. She just recently decided to pick it up and read it, she refused to before, but now she knows without doubt that its true, she even shares it with her friends at work. Thats the problem with her, she works sundays, its one of the most common challenges, and with all the people we have right now the challenges they have to overcome require a lot of faith. Thats something Ive thought about is if I would have the faith to do it. I want so bad for them to advance but I know that means I need to have way more than the faith they need to be able to keep advancing.

The main man Carlos who I talked about last week is still progressing towards his matrimony and baptism, hes super excited and willing to change....thats something we were talking about is the convanant it is, specifically to take the name of Christ (like in Mosiah 7) and he really wants that more than anything. Theyre gonna go get all their papers in this wednesday, So Im hoping theyll be able to get married the next week, Im just hoping there wont be problems with that process.

We have the truth and all of it too....we have such a greater oppurtunity to understand Christ because of the Book of Mormon, it really does leave such a good testimony that Christ is our savior. It was a lot of work to get that record to us but God put those words together, preserved them, and called his servants to deliver it to us because we need it more than ever. The remaining descendents of those very people need it. We all need that word and that testimony, and we need prophets today too, that is why it is so important to know that we really do have all of the truth. So why dont we put a little more focus in that testimony, the book. Ya so have a good week all

Alma 29:9

"I know that which the Lord hath commanded me, and I glory in it. I do not glory of myself, but I glory in that which the Lord hath commanded me; yea, and this is my glory, that perhaps I may be an instrument in the hands of God to bring some soul to repentance; and this is my joy."